I take that privilege seriously and will honor my oath to defend the Constitution from ALL enemies foreign AND domestic.

The national election has been long, loud and divisive. While there is much that divides us, there is also a uniquely American hope for the future that unites us.

My hope is that we find that common ground.

My hope is that we rediscover that our prosperity is truly bound to our Liberty.

We do, however, face a question that is bigger than this election and must be heard:

Can liberty survive in a democracy unrestrained by a constitution?

Will a people continue to choose Liberty if they have given up on the American Dream?

The American experiment with Liberty is not totally won. Today, tomorrow, and the day after that, we must fight to restrain Big Brother.

We must stand together against the rising tide of government excess that threatens to trap us, to hold us captive.

To defend Liberty we absolutely must defend the entire bill of rights!

Justice Brandeis said that the right most cherished among men and women is the right to be left alone. I couldn’t agree more.

Privacy is not only essential to freedom, it is essential to creativity.

Pink Floyd understood that genius needs to be left alone:

Whether your ideas are politically correct or not…whether you’re a painter or a self-proclaimed prophet, the exhortation is to shine, to not let conformity dim your light… to: “Shine, shine on you crazy diamond.”

For the crazy diamonds to shine, government must get out of the way.

The leave-me-alone generation is a generation that believes they can conquer the world, and solve any problem if left free to follow their dreams.

It isn’t about how government will lead us to prosperity. The debate is about getting government out of the way of human ingenuity.

I am proud to have been supported by thousands of veterans across Kentucky.

They are patriots, all of them, but they ask only that we go to war as a last resort and only after serious public debate and only after constitutional authorization by Congress.

We need a reasonable, realist foreign policy where we stand strong enough to deter any attack … but not eager to start WWIII.

When we must fight, it should be to defend America…. not for regime change and not for nation building!

Our founding fathers understood that power was a corrupting force. The founders, therefore, gave the power to declare war to Congress not the President.

Their goal was to divide power among co-equal branches of government and to reserve all unenumerated powers to the states and people respectively.

Our Founding Fathers feared centralization of power.

As Madison wrote, “Where an excess of power prevails, . . . No man is safe in his opinions, his person, . . .or his possessions.”

Our Founders wrote the Constitution to restrain the accumulation of power by the government.

Elections should be about protecting you from an overbearing government…. NOT about which candidate will grab the ring of power.

The goal should be to set you free… to leave you alone… To have a government so small you can barely see it!

While the presidential victor is not known yet, I continue to believe that to win nationally, the GOP will need to become a bigger, better, bolder party.

We need to welcome people of all walks of life — black, white, brown –with tattoos, without tattoos, with earrings without, in over-alls, in suits….

After all, big government tramples people from all walks of life.

Regardless of who wins the Presidency, I will not be a rubber stamp for a liberal Supreme Court nominee!

I will only support a new Supreme Court justice who understands and believes in the constitution’s separation of powers!

So often people look to politicians and ask what are YOU going to do . . . But really we all should simply look in the mirror for solutions. Families, mothers, fathers, churches need to be a part of the answer.

Liberals will never understand this simple fact, just as they will never understand that charity is giving your OWN money not the taxpayer’s money.

It is important to remember that government can’t make us a virtuous people. Government can’t provide salvation.

America is the richest, most humanitarian nation in the history of mankind because we have largely been left free.

As we’ve travelled across Kentucky, Kelley and I have been inspired by everyday Americans doing heroic deeds. We have been inspired by Sgt. JD Williams, a true American hero who sacrificed so much in the defense of our country. I have never seen a community pull together to help a hero as when our neighbors and friends came together to build a house for JD and his family.

Likewise, Kelley and I have been inspired by physicians and surgeons across Kentucky who give of their time and resources to restore vision to the blind. Too often, in the rush to have government do everything for everyone, we forget that the medical community volunteers every day to help people in need.

At the refuge for women, Kelley and I listened to the heartache of tragic lives of human trafficking and exploitation and also the redeeming stories of Kentuckians pulling together to save the lives and rebuild the spirits of these young women.

Across Kentucky we’ve seen what it will take for America to thrive again, it will take a community that cherishes and encourages each of us to know that we really ARE our brothers keeper.

I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally, where people of color are not unfairly incarcerated.

I see an America with a restrained IRS that cannot target and harass American citizens for their political or religious beliefs.

I see a simplified flat tax that unburdens our citizens from the fear and intimidation of the IRS tax code.

I see our big cities once again shining and beckoning with creativity and ingenuity, with American companies offering American jobs.

With your help, this message will ring from coast to coast — a message of liberty, justice and personal responsibility.

A message that will gain support from across the political spectrum…

A message that will unite right and left.

The journey to take back America, will not be easy, it will not be without obstacles.

But together, we can do what others say is not possible.

Stand with me now as together we seek a new vision for America!

Thank you, God bless you, and God Bless America.

THANK YOUS

First I want to thank the person in charge of the entire winning organization – my friend, Doug Stafford.

I want to thank the best communications team ever – thank you Kelsey, Marianne and Sergio

I also want to thank the excellent campaign management of Chasen Bullock and his able team including Matt, Justin, Sebastian and many others. Thanks to Amanda, Laura, Rob, Wes and Alexandra for their work.